Chelsea are looking to beat their London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham by making the first move for Ecuador and Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie, according to reports. It comes as clubs prepare their plans for the upcoming January transfer window, where some activity is expected.
For the Blues, there could be further investment from Boehly-Clearlake since their record spending in the summer transfer window amid the need to rebuild. Inconsistency has been a key issue, though new boss Graham Potter will be hopeful that a month break, and perhaps some players of his own, can help their cause.
Despite that, the former Brighton manager played down the talk over signings in January, telling reporters earlier this month: "I think there is more to come from the team we have and the group we have. We've had some key players out: (N'Golo) Kante, (Ben) Chilwell, (Reece) James, (Wesley) Fofana. They are key players, and a couple of them are replacing key ones who left in the summer."
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Despite that, the newly placed recruitment structure above Potter could look to implement a few signings as they move towards an approach of signing younger talent for the future. One of those being linked is Bayer Leverkusen defender Hincapie as the 20-year-old continues to impress.
The youngster has been linked with a switch to rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, but the Blues have made their move to try and land him first. That's because the Mirror claims that Chelsea have been scouting Hincapie at the Qatar 2022 World Cup while he impresses with Ecuador.
The centre-back could impress even further if he helps his side earn qualification to the round of 16 when they face Senegal in a crunch match next up.
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